Drink-through lid seal and method of use

ABSTRACT

A seal for use with a drink-through beverage lid, comprising a generally flat plate and a projection. When attached to a lid, the projection mates with an opening in the drink-through lid, commonly at the top of a drinking spout. The projection seals the opening, preventing spillage during transport. The seal is easily removable by grasping the plate and pulling it away from the lid.

PRIORITY CLAIM

[0001] This application is a continuation-in-part of prior U.S.application Ser. No. 10/061,980, filed Jan. 31, 2002.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

[0002] This invention relates generally to disposable beverage containerlids and, more specifically, to devices for sealing such lids to preventspillage.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0003] Coffee shops, take-out restaurants, and other establishmentscommonly serve beverages in disposable cups having plastic lids. In mostcases, the lids include an opening allowing the consumer to drink thebeverage through the lid, without removing it. Examples of such lids aredisclosed, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,589,569 to Clements; U.S.Pat. No. 4,333,583 to Montemarano, and U.S. Pat. No. 5,253,781 to VanMelle et al.

[0004] The various lids address a variety of concerns, such as the idealshape of a lid to accommodate a typical human mouth or the extent towhich the lid should be raised to allow for beverages topped withwhipped cream or foam, but they do not adequately address the problem ofspillage that comes with such lids.

[0005] Common to all of the drink-through lids is the inclusion of anopening to allow the beverage to be consumed through the lid. While theopening makes it convenient to drink the beverage without removing thelid, it also makes the beverage prone to spillage when transporting itfrom the point of purchase to any other location.

[0006] Consequently, there is a need for a device that is able to sealbeverage lids to prevent spillage without detracting from theconvenience of a drink-through beverage lid.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0007] The present invention comprises a cover for a drink-throughbeverage cup lid. In a preferred embodiment, the invention comprises asubstantially flat plate having a generally orthogonal projection thatis sized and shaped to extend into the opening of a typicaldrink-through lid. The seal is inserted into the lid during transport,and is easily removable to allow the beverage to be consumed.

[0008] In accordance with further aspects of the invention, the cup sealmay be either attached to the drink-through lid, detachable from thelid, or produced as a separate component.

[0009] In accordance with other aspects of the invention, the seal maytake other forms, including that of a lid having the same general shapeas a drink-through lid but without a drink-through opening. In thisembodiment, the seal is placed over the entire drink-through lid toprevent spillage.

[0010] In accordance with still further aspects of the invention, theseal plate can be somewhat larger than the raised portion of thedrink-through lid so that it can be easily removed.

[0011] In accordance with yet other aspects of the invention, the sealis made from a flexible material.

[0012] In accordance with still another aspect of the invention, asurface of the seal includes a space for a logo, advertisement, orremovable sticker that can be used to reveal game prize winners.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0013] The preferred and alternative embodiments of the presentinvention are described in detail below with reference to the followingdrawings.

[0014] FIGS. 1A-B are perspective views of a preferred cup seal in usewith a drinking cup and drink-through lid;

[0015]FIG. 2 is a perspective view of an alternate embodiment for a cupseal in use with a drinking cup and drink-through lid;

[0016]FIG. 3 is a perspective view of an alternate embodiment for a cupseal in use with a drinking cup and drink-through lid; and

[0017]FIG. 4 is a flow diagram for a preferred method of using a cupseal.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

[0018]FIG. 1A illustrates a cup 10 having a removable drink-through lid20. The lid 20 is removable, and includes a raised drink-through spout22 having an opening 26. The beverage in the cup 10 may be consumeddirectly through the opening 26 or through a straw inserted into theopening 26. The lid 20 also includes a raised portion 24 to allow thelid to accommodate beverages with foam or other toppings. A small vent28 is included on the raised portion 28 to allow for the flow of airwhen drinking.

[0019] The lid 20 may differ from that illustrated in FIG. 1A,consistent with this invention. For example, the lid need not include aspout 22, raised portion 24, or vent 28. Likewise, the spout can takeany shape other than that illustrated, so long as it also includes adrink-through opening. For that matter, the drink-through opening neednot be on a raised spout, but rather can reside on a generally flat lidor on a recessed portion of a lid. An example of an alternative form ofcup lid is shown in FIG. 1B. The lid of FIG. 1B includes a rim 27, atrough 29, and an oval-shaped opening 26. Unlike the lid of FIG. 1A, thelid of FIG. 1B incorporates the spout within the rim 27.

[0020] Further, the lid 20 illustrated in FIG. 1A is the type typicallyused with disposable cups. As yet another alternative, the lid 20 can bea re-useable lid such as that on a non-disposable commuter mug.

[0021] The seal 30 includes a generally flat plate 32 having anorthogonal projection 34. The plate 32 is sized and shaped to generallycover the top of the spout 22 of the lid 20. Likewise, the projection 34has a cross-sectional shape (in a plane substantially parallel to theplate 32) that substantially matches the shape of the opening 26. Asshown in FIG. 1A, the projection and opening are round. In otherembodiments, the projection 34 has an oval cross-section or any othershape to correspond to the expected shape of a drink-through lidopening, such as the oval opening 26 in the lid of FIG. 1B. Theprojection need not have any specific length, but it preferably iscapable of extending through the opening 26 sufficiently far to seal theopening and to frictionally retain the seal 30 on the spout 22.Likewise, although the projection is shown as having sidewalls that aresubstantially parallel (forming a cylinder in FIG. 1A), they may betapered to enhance the ability of the seal to be retained within thespout and also to allow a single seal 30 to accommodate lids 20 havingopenings of different sizes. Such a projection is tapered so that it hasa larger circumference at the end adjacent the plate 32 and a smallercircumference at the end opposite the plate 32.

[0022] The plate 32 is preferably shaped to extend at least partiallybeyond the top edge of the spout 22 to facilitate easy removal. Becauseit is preferably constructed from rubber or other flexible materials,this shape allows the seal 30 to be grasped and pried upward forremoval. It may, however, be formed of any materials, including plastic(hollow or solid), wood, cork, or others. Accordingly, as depicted inFIG. 1A, the preferred shape is triangular with rounded corners. As analternative, the plate 30 can be in the shape of a coffee bean or otherobject indicative of the beverage or store selling it. Any other shapewill work, however, so long as the seal 30 is removable and will closethe opening 26. At one extreme, the plate 32 is not used at all. In suchan embodiment, the projection is extendible downward into the lid, whileanother projection remains above the lid when the seal is in place,providing a means for grasping the seal for removal.

[0023] The seal 30 can be formed in any color, and is preferablyconstructed of rubber or other material. By using a variety of colors,coffee houses can color-code the drinks they sell by, for example, usinga black seal for black coffee, a brown seal for a mocha, and othercolors to represent other aspects. Likewise, the substantially flat topsurface of the plate 32 can be used for trademarks, logos, or otherindicia.

[0024] The top surface of the plate 30 can alternatively include apeel-off sticker so that the seal 30 can be used as a promotional gamepiece. Removing the sticker reveals the results (e.g., instant winner,try again, etc.) that are printed on or attached to the top surface ofthe plate 30.

[0025] An alternate embodiment of the lid seal 30 is depicted in FIG. 2.In this embodiment, the seal 30 is attached to the lid 20 via an arm 36.Because the arm 36 is attached to the lid 20, it is preferable tomanufacture it from the same material rather than to make it separatelyand attach it. Typical lids are made from a relatively thin plastic thatis sufficiently flexible (either naturally or by the use ofperforations, scoring or other means) that the arm 36 can be extendedupward to engage the seal 30 with the opening 26. To facilitatedrinking, the seal 30 is removed and allowed to extend downward. Theinclusion of the arm 36 retains the seal so that it does not fall to theground and need not be held separately while drinking. While the arm 36is shown as extending from a lower edge of the lid 10, it can beattached to the lid at any point so long as the arm 36 allows the sealto reach the opening 26. Likewise, the arm 36 can be any length, so longas the seal is capable of reaching the opening 26.

[0026] Yet another embodiment is depicted in FIG. 3. In this embodiment,the seal takes the form of a lid cover 40. The lid cover 40 is sized andshaped to fully cover an existing drink-through lid, and therefore (fora lid such as that of FIG. 1A) includes a raised section and spout, asappropriate. An annular lid-engaging section 46 connects with acorresponding section on the drink-through lid 20. The principaldifference, however, is that the lid cover has no opening such as theopening 26 found in the drink-through lid. Thus, by attaching the lidcover 40 to the lid 20, the opening 26 is sealed, preventing spillage.

[0027] In one form of the lid cover 40, the lid cover also includes aprojection 42 extending downward from the top of the spout section 44 ofthe lid cover 40. When the lid cover 40 is placed over the lid 20, theprojection 42 mates with the opening 26 to form a relatively tight seal.In this form of the embodiment, the projection 42 prevents leakagebetween the lid 20 and lid cover 40, keeping the lid 20 relatively cleanduring transport.

[0028]FIG. 4 depicts a preferred method of using a lid seal. The methodbegins by providing a beverage cup 102 such as the cup 10 depicted inFIG. 1. The cup is then filled 104 with a beverage such as coffee, tea,juice, or any other liquid. Once filled, the lid 20 is placed on the cup106. The lid includes a drink-through spout so that it generallyencloses the cup except for the drink-through spout 26.

[0029] In order to seal the cup, a seal 30 is placed on the lid to sealit and prevent spillage. Thus, in block 108 an appropriate seal ischosen from a plurality of seals designed to enclose a drink-throughopening. The seals are interchangeable, so that any one of the pluralityof seals will suffice. In various alternate embodiments, as describedabove, the selection of a particular seal may be based on a color coding(e.g., different colors depending on the particular beverage in thecup), use of logos, or other aspects. Thus, in this form, any cup, lid,and seal may be combined and a particular combination may be made as afunction of the beverage in the cup. Alternatively, a bin of seals maybe placed in a location accessibly by consumers of the beverages, sothat consumers can optionally select a seal if desired. Once the seal ischosen, it is placed on the lid 110 to seal the cup.

[0030] While the preferred embodiment of the invention has beenillustrated and described, as noted above, many changes can be madewithout departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.Accordingly, the scope of the invention is not limited by the disclosureof the preferred embodiment.

The embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive property orprivilege is claimed are defined as follows:
 1. A method for sealing acup lid, comprising: providing a beverage cup; placing a lid on the cup,the lid having a spout with an opening to allow a beverage to beconsumed through the lid; selecting a seal from a plurality ofinterchangeable seals, each of the seals having a plate with an uppersurface, a lower surface, and a projection attached to and extendingaway from the lower surface of the plate, the plate being sized suchthat at least a portion of the plate extends beyond a top edge of thespout when the seal is attached to the lid, the projection beingconfigured to be insertable into the drink-through opening to preventliquid within the cup from leaking through the drink-through openingwhen the projection is inserted into the drink-through opening, andfurther wherein the seal is fully separated from the lid and disposablewhen the projection is not inserted into the opening; and inserting theprojection into the lid opening.
 2. The method of claim 1, furthercomprising filling the cup with a beverage before placing the lid on thecup.
 3. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of seals comprise aplurality of indicia, and wherein the seal is selected based on anassociation between the indicia and the beverage.
 4. The method of claim3, wherein at least one of the indicia comprises a logo.
 5. The methodof claim 3, wherein at least one of the indicia comprises a markingassociated with the beverage.
 6. The method of claim 3, wherein at leastone of the indicia comprises a color associated with the beverage. 7.The method of claim 3, wherein the plurality of seals are formed in aplurality of different colors.
 8. The method of claim 1, wherein theupper surface of the plate for at least some of the plurality of sealsis triangular in shape.
 9. The method of claim 1, wherein the sealfurther comprises an indicia attached to the upper surface of the plateand a cover removably attached to the upper surface of the plate,wherein the cover hides the indicia from view when the cover is attachedto the plate.
 10. The method of claim 9, wherein the indicia indicateswhether a consumer has won a prize.
 11. The method of claim 9, whereinthe indicia comprises a logo.
 12. The method of claim 9, wherein theindicia comprises a coupon.
 13. The method of claim 9, wherein theindicia comprises a promotional message.
 14. The method of claim 1,wherein selecting the seal further comprises a consumer of the beverageselecting the seal from a container holding a plurality of seals.